The present invention relates to amorphous silicon photovoltaic devices and more particularly to photovoltaic devices having an electrically insulating layer between the amorphous silicon body and a metallic film.
Photovoltaic devices such as solar cells and photodetectors are capable of converting light, i.e., infrared to the ultraviolet range, into usable electrical energy. A problem encountered in the field of photovoltaic devices is that the cost of producing electrical energy from such devices is often not competitive with other means of electricity generation.
It has recently been discovered that inexpensive and efficient photovoltaic devices can be fabricated having very thin bodies of amorphous silicon prepared by a glow discharge in silane, SiH.sub.4, as taught in Ser. No. 710,183, "Semiconductor Device Having A Body Of Amorphous Silicon And Method Of Making The Same", filed July 30, 1976 and Ser. No. 710,186, "Schottky Barrier Semiconductor Device And Method Of Making Same," filed July 30, 1976. The use of thin bodies fabricated by a glow discharge in silane has helped in reducing the semiconductor material expense involved in the manufacture of such devices.
While photovoltaic devices fabricated by a glow discharge in silane have proved an efficient means of converting solar radiation into electrical current, any means for improving the output power of these photovoltaic devices is most desirable.